By Rabi Raj Thapa

The debacle of Tinkune mayhem relieved the supreme leaders of the fear and worry of corruption probes that Comrade Prhchanda and Ravi Lamichhane government had strongly raised. Now it is interesting to see Comrade Prachanda wallowing against both the government and King Gyanendra like a defeated soldier and Lamichhane treated like a Prisoner of War (PoW).

Since the emergence of Rajabadi and Hindu Rastrabad, Oli-Deuba got good relief from their corruption scams that could have pulled them out of power and dragged them behind bars. But these master players of political match-fixing have got a very long pause and breathing space and time to divert people with new-found masala to protect and save their deceitfully acquired golden egg of republicanism.

It is also a sad destiny of Nepal Police that it got implicated once again for all ruling government and major political parties’ misgivings. It is obvious that Nepal Police made a blunder – may be either due to its own organizational shortcomings or due to appeasement and pressures from its government masters and their political beneficiaries; they have lost both good police image and credibility.

Police organizations in Nepal Police often show some old hangover of its initial form of Mukti-Sena mindset even today. Since the turmoil of the democratic political transformation of 1950, the police organization in Nepal has ever been used as a pawn and the sacrificial lamb by political leaders till date. Now, their role has become more crucial and important to protect and save Nepal as a sovereign and independent nation-state. It must free and protect itself from the satchel of decade-long police-politics cocktail of government-sponsored oppression and misdemeanor.  

At the present moment, both the Nepal Police and the government must admit their professional shortfalls and apologize to both the public and aggrieved parties as well. But it is not fair to blame fully on police forces only and issue clean chits to the Home Ministry officials, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli as well. Because, there are so many valid grounds to suspect roles of subversive elements and their sabotage ever since the formation and propaganda war targeted and initiated by the Samajbadi Morcha (Socialist (Communist) Front) against King Gyanendra, the Rajabidis, and Hindu-Rastra along with traditional forces.      

One of the most critical aspects of Tinkune Mayhem is the lack of intelligence. Since the republican government came into Nepal National Intelligence agency has been the most neglected and ignored security apparatus of the Nepal government. It is no wonder that nobody have enquired about the role of intelligence in the Tinkune incidents. As a matter of fact, there are intelligence departments under the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force who seem to have completely failed to act before–after such disgraceful incidents.

How can a government just feel happy with blaming a person, a party and an ideologue with full immunity to the actual or potential criminals and perpetrators? For example, robbery, shoplifting or vandalism at Bhat-Bhateni cannot be left undone just by blaming a person, or a group of political ideologues. The owner Min Bahadur Gurung of Bhat-Bhateni who initially claimed 750 million rupees (later amended to 75 million) cannot be taken so lightly. The government must take the matter more seriously; and start investigating the case by: first, taking stock-checking whether the claim is true or not, then identifying the perpetrator and issuing/publishing a wanted-notice with reward if possible. Then it must follow through the flow of robbed/stolen items to reach up to the places and pawn-brokers who buy stolen goods. Only such investigation can then lead to the fact and ascertain whether the Rajabadis are responsible or there were infiltrators or politically motivated saboteur subversive elements affiliated to the communists who did the job. Therefore, it is absurd to jump to a conclusion and squarely blame Rajabadi for the looting and arson that would mean totally propagating biased and preconceived ideas only.

To sum-up it would be pathetic if the government delays and refuses to form an independent fact-finding mission as early as possible.